#Review: Aquaman

Out now in cinemas is the latest DC film from Warner Bros. This time around audiences learn about the aquatic hero Arthur Curry aka Aquaman.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is coming off a big win. InJustice League, he was a part of a team that saved the world. With the opening scene of Aquaman, the audience is treated to how this merman came to be. His mother was the Atlantean Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and his father was Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) a simple lighthouse keeper.

He is the son of two worlds and now with his half-brother King Orm (Patrick Wilson) preparing for war against the surface world, he must take up the mantle of King of Atlantis to save both worlds.

I loved Aquaman. It’s bonkers, it’s over the top, and it owns it. It never takes itself too seriously and most importantly it’s full of memorable moments built on a foundation of character.

Aquaman has such a unique personality. Each character is interesting and well developed. From the opening minutes of the film that create Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to the quiet back and forth Mera (Amber Heard) and Arthur have in Sicily the film knows how to give each of these characters their time to shine.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the action scenes. Aquaman is filled to the brim with bombastic action scenes. The cinematography on show is phenomenal. From the undersea skirmishes to the all-out brawls between the heroes and villains director James Wan and his crew have fashioned a unique world filled with over the top elements of awe and wonder.

You genuinely feel like you’re entering a world you’ve never seen before in Aquaman. It’s breathtaking and in IMAX screens it’s quite a formidable experience.

The electric score also bolsters the action of the film. Each character is given a theme that accompanies their actions. It’s brilliant, in particular, Black Manta’s heavy drum theme.

If there were any issues for me it was that the film moves at a swift pace perhaps too swift at times. The adventure moves from location to location, to location. I wished that there were more moments of the characters simply conversing with each other.

These were really the only issues I had with the film though. I was just so impressed with how the lore of Aquamanwas created. The kingdoms, their people, and the technology of these people are fascinating. I just found myself asking more and more questions and looking forward to the answers.

All of this world building and technical ingenuity means nothing if the characters didn’t interest you and as I said before these characters were compelling. Momoa is brilliant as AC. He has taken this character and become one with it. It’s hard to tell where Aquaman begins and Momoa ends. He also has two fascinating foils in his antagonistic brother Orm and the vengeful Black Manta. They each have their own issues with Arthur and both are brilliant. Once again Black Manta comes out on top though. He has one particular encounter with him with Arthur and it’s absolutely awesome.

Not to be left out are the women of Aquaman. Nicole Kidman has some incredible action scenes as Queen Atlanna and Mera is just as rough as the boys. She brings her own style to her battles. She utilises a form of aquakinesis combined with impressive martial skills.

When all is said and done I adored Aquaman. It’s nonsense and filled with ridiculous action set pieces and has something in it that will blow the minds of so many, many people. All I will say is it involves Julie Andrews 🙂